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The employee does not (doesn’t) agree with the decision. The employees do not (don’t) agree with the decision. Tip: Remember that though your verb phrase is “do like” OR “does like,” make your subject agree with the first verb in the phrase: “do” OR “does.” This helping verb is where we add or remove the “s” for balance. Exceptions to this rule occur with “I” and “you.” With these pronouns, “do,” “do not,” OR “don’t” should be used.

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So why all the Confusion?... Words between the subject and the verb are what trip up many people. Physics, along with calculus and chemistry, make up the “Monster Trio” of the sciences. “Along with calculus and chemistry” is a prepositional phrase between the subject “Physics” and the verb “make.” Ignore the prepositional phrase… “Physics makes up the ‘Monster Trio.’”

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Disruptive Word Groups Do not be misled by “disruptive” word groups that come between the subject and the verb. Neither of them were wearing a seatbelt. Simply ignore the “disruptive” phrase, or reduce the sentence to simplest form. Neither of them was wearing a seatbelt.

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The people who listen to that music are few. The team captain, as well as his players, is anxious. The book, including all the chapters in the first section, is boring. Every resident in three counties was affected by the storm.

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Each of these students is receiving a trophy. Everybody loves a winner. Neither of the teams has ever won a championship game. Either answer is correct. Someone appreciates your efforts. Tip: All of these indefinite pronouns are in fact referring to a SINGLE (or potentially single) body or item. This is why they require a singular verb.

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Nouns like civics, economics, AIDS, and news require singular verbs though the nouns themselves end in “s” and look plural. The news is on at six. Home economics involves more than sewing and cooking. AIDS is an epidemic. Tip: These words imply a unified group, body or collection of information or study…this is why they are singular.

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DOLLARS $$$ When referring to an amount of money, use a singular verb. When referring to physical dollars themselves, use a plural verb. One hundred dollars is, unfortunately, not a lot of money. Dollars are the national currency.

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Time, Distance & Weight. -Twenty miles is quite a distance to run daily. -Kilometers are a part of the metric system. -Five hundred pounds is heavy. -Pounds are an accurate measurement of weight.

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“Here” & “There” There’s several brush fires in California. There are several brush fires in California. Here’s my reasons for quitting. Here are my reasons for quitting. Neither “there” nor “here” can serve as the subject of a sentence. When these words open a sentence, look for the subject to follow the verb.

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Collective Nouns Nouns that include or imply more than one person but act as a unified group. group, team, class, family, committee, herd, jury, faculty

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If the persons in this collective noun are working together, or are being referred to as a whole, they take a singular verb. The team runs during practice. My family goes to church.

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Collective nouns call for plural verbs when the group members are not acting together, or when you are referring to individual effort within the group. The jury has reached a verdict. The jury have left the courthouse in separate cars. The crew is making its plans. The crew are preparing the ship. (This sentence refers to the individual efforts of each member)

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References The OWL at Purdue http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource /599/01/ The Capital Community College Foundation http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar /sv_agr.htm Red River College of Arts and Sciences http://languagearts.pppst.com/subject- verb-agreement.html

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Gerunds as Subjects Regretting your mistakes is often useless. Finding honest people seems difficult. Ignore the object of the gerund and make your verb agree with the singular gerunds “regretting” and “finding.”

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Inclusion/Exclusion Rule EXCLUSION – use a singular verb: He is the only one of his classmates who drinks or smokes. INCLUSION – use a plural verb: He is one of the millions of Americans who drink.

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Consult a dictionary and/or follow your professor’s preference for Foreign Nouns as Subjects SINGULAR PLURAL criterioncriteria mediummedia datumdata The media are not invited. No new data are available.